Thank Goodness For Retakes

It happens every year. I get the wee ones all dressed and prepped. Their hair is done perfectly, and their clothes are chosen to complement the background. I hope and cross my fingers that they will have their annual school photos turn out ... decent. Not even great, my goal in life is down to just "decent" school photos.

Little Miss's photos arrived yesterday. As I pulled them from her backpack to peruse them, I smiled. I looked through the little (operative word) window in the envelope and saw that she was smiling and her headband was still in - keeping that nutty hair from falling into her face. Her eyes looked tired, but that's not a big deal. And that particular headband in that photo made her look very 60s-ish, but that's ok; it's cute. We escaped this time around.

Then I pulled them from the envelope to begin the task of cutting them.

Wait wait wait.

Seriously, what photographer took this picture and thought it would work? Where was the parent volunteer who straightens the clothes, makes sure the hair isn't sticking up, and generally manages to minimize the need for retakes?

My mom saw it and thought it was cute. It made Little Miss giggle. My mom thought it showed personality. Little Miss giggled again. I have plenty of photos that demonstrate her personality. It sounds shallow, but I'd like a picture to share with my family that shows not just her personality but show how beautiful and perfect she is in my eyes no matter what she's doing.

The photos have been returned to their envelope and soon will return to the school for retakes. If the next photo comes out like this, so be it. It will be an interesting memory from her first grade year and will show her personality. But I'm still trying for a different picture and yes, selfishly, a "better" picture.

Unfortunately, I know from our experience that the photo she first took - the photo with her hair doing some weird and bizarre sticking out thing that it does not normally do, mind you - is the one that will be in the yearbook. And in the class photo distributed to all her friends. Of course.

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